Importance of Cognitive Milestones in Early Childhood

Is your baby achieving cognitive milestones?

Hi guys, today I want to take up another important topic related to babies i.e Cognitive Milestones in Early Childhood.

In simple words, cognitive development is the brain’s ability to act and think. And cognitive milestones help keep a check on baby’s brain and intellectual development.

Just like any other new mom, I was also obsessed with the term ‘milestones’, when Nemit was a little baby. I used to keep a check on his physical growth every month and sometimes even every week since babies grow really fast.

For the first 30 days after birth, my complete focus was only on his physical growth. At that time I was not aware that there are cognitive milestones as well. And came to know about their importance only at a later stage.

At around 2 months, when a baby smiles for the first time, it is a growth milestone. And around 3-4 months, when the baby responds to our facial expressions with a smile, it is a cognitive milestone.

Keeping a track of cognitive milestones is as important as other developmental milestones.

Many parents are not aware of the different categories of developmental milestones. These are basically a bundle of physical, cognitive, social, emotional and communication milestones. And each one of these plays an equally important role in a child’s overall growth and development.

With cognitive milestones, the focus is more on thinking, learning, exploring and problem-solving skills.

There are many ways in which a mother can assist her baby in achieving cognitive milestones. And further helping in infant cognition.

One of the best ways is through nutrition!

Source – Gooey Brains

You will be amazed to know that a baby’s cognitive development starts from the time of conception. And that is why during pregnancy, mothers are advised to take proper care of their health and nutrition intake. DHA and Natural Vitamin Eare the most important brain-building nutrients responsible for baby’s cognitive development.

Many studies and research conducted by Abbott, reinforce nutrition’s impact on cognition.

Only a mother can provide these essential nutrients to the baby during pregnancy and later through breastfeeding.

I always say that each baby is unique and they achieve their milestones at their own pace. However, this is also true that parents play an important role in their baby’s growth and development. Cognitive development is directly influenced by the quality of time parents spent with their babies. Cognition is the most important part of a child’s development as it lays the foundation for lifelong progress.

Another best way to help your baby achieve cognitive milestones is through stimulation!

Source – www.essentialbaby.com

It’s important that parents provide the right environment and stimulation activities right from the birth. There are many benefits of stimulation for the development of baby’s thinking and intelligence, auditory and visual senses and also helps in improving their social and emotional skills.

To know more about the age-appropriate (0-2 years) stimulation activities check out this post here!

A baby’s brain doubles in size in the first year. And by the age of two, the brain has up to twice as many nerve connections as it will have in adulthood.

Babies are way smarter than we think. For the first 2 years after birth, they use their senses to learn about the world around them. They are constantly learning, thinking and exploring their surroundings. And working towards developing remarkable intellectual skills.

Hence, it becomes crucial for parents to keep a watch on their cognitive milestones. And take immediate action if they notice any red flags. As early intervention always help!

Check out the below chart for an age-wise list of cognitive milestones

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I hope you find this post informative and helpful. Do share your experience with me related to developmental milestones in the comment below. And don’t forget to share this post!

All the developmental milestones show us the clear picture of the baby’s growth. In sheer ignorance, we sometimes miss out on most easy to gauge variances. It’s important to understand which age indicates what in terms of growth perspective.
Very detailed post Neha.

You rightly said, we are more focused on physical milestones such as standing, crawling, walking, etc. and I think the reason is that we don’t have much information about cognitive ones or that physical ones are more easy to spot. This post will surely help a lot of new moms.

Cognitive development is very important. And as you said babies are way smarter than what we think. If they get the appropriate environment, they reach their milestones in time. In the end, every child is different. So is their pace and growth. R every parent should understand this.
#MothersGurukulreads #Myfriendalexa

Love the details in this post… this is something that all parents to be should be made aware of.. unfortunately I was not as aware of all details during my first pregnancy but was lucky since my doctor did stress a lot on my nutrition during pregnancy and breastfeeding and playing with grandparents and their different activities took care of the stimulation part.

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Hello, I am Neha, a messy & flawed mother of 2 super naughty kids, a boy Nemit and a dog Caesar. I describe myself as people person, great listener who loves to read and research, travel freak, explorer and a photography enthusiast. With this blog I want to share my Journey and Experience with the World!
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